Ride around France on monsters in Pokémon X and Y

Japanese magazine CoroCoro has spilled new details about the upcoming Pokémon X and Y games, which are releasing this October on 3DS. Fans are in for a treat with some interesting new design changes.

Players can now diversify their trainer-characters beyond gender by altering hair color and skin tone. This brings a cultural flourish to Karos, a region designed around modern France that serves as the centerpiece for the adventure. You can swap bicycles for Pokémon and ride around the countryside on their backs — although it's unclear how many monsters can perform this task. These are all firsts for the long-running series.

Nintendo also announced several new Pokémon (pictured): the Grass-type Gogoat, the Electric/Normal-type Elikiteru, the Normal/Flying bird Yayakoma, and Yancham, a Fighting type that looks like a panda.

Keep in mind, though, that these names were plucked from the Japanese versions of the games, so they may be different in localized versions. Pokémon X and Y will launch simultaneously worldwide — another fresh change.